Cuisine of Azerbaijan:tandir bread

The cuisine of Azerbaijan is one of the most ancient, rich and tasty cuisines in the world. Baked bread in Azerbaijan has been a symbol of abundance and blessing since ancient times. There are different types of bread in the Azeri cuisine: yukha, yayma, fatir, fasali,kata and tandir breads. We can talk about tandirs a lot, which are the basis of bread baking. They are still used today without even changing their structure. The history of the tandir dates from the Neolithic era, when sedentary life existed. Scientists note that the word "tandir" belongs to ancient Turkish people (Sumerians).Since the time of the fire worshipers, this tandir was symbolized by the sun.

It is an ancient tradition to cook bread in tandir in some parts of Azerbaijan. Although modern technologies are being used in the field of baking, the tradition of baking bread in tandir is still avaliable. Tandir is made of clay. It remembers the cut cylinder, usually with 55 cm in top diameter , 80 cm in the center diameter, and with a height of 1 meter. There is also a small hole in the bottom to pull the air from its , which is called "kuvle", or "kulufuren". Nowadays, tandir is used by different people living in India, Turkey, Central Asia, Arabic countries,the Caucasus. In some mountainous districts of our republic, the tandir is even installed in the houses. It is very handy for them still they can use it not only for baking , but also for heating rooms in winter.

The process of baking

The dough made for bread is both with yeast and fresh. But even non-acid (without yeast) the dough should be infused for 20 minutes. After that, the dough is divided into equal parts, the balls are formed , which are then rolled to the desired size. The cake is smeared with egg and adorned with sesame seeds. The walls of the tandir are sprinkled with water before. Bread baking process is 15-20 minutes. Tandir is initially browned by the habit, and then begins to whiten from top to bottom. As soon as the tandir is whitened , you do not pull out the dough ball. You have to wait a little bit, otherwise the bread can burn. The bread baked in tandir has its own flavor, its smell. Anyone who goes by the neighborhood of the bakery should feel its amazing smell. Traditionally, the first bread from tandir is given to the children and to the guest of the house, who bring blessings and prosperity to the house. Today, in Azerbaijan, tandir is not only used for bread baking, it also used for preparing different dishes such as tandir kabab, tandir lavanghi, tandir kulleme, tandir qovurma. Some sweets are also cooked in tandir.

P.S It is no doubt that tourists coming to Azerbaijan will also like the gastronomy of Azerbaijan especially tandir bread. Do not forget to try it in Sehirli Tandir,which is located in Inner City near Gosha Gala gates.

Sehirli Tandir

9R9P+F66, Kichik Qala, Bakı, Azerbaijan